Marine Harriers, Hornets headed to Iraq this fall.

AuthorErwin, Sandra I.
PositionUp Front

The Marine Corps will be deploying fighter jets to Iraq, not necessarily to drop bombs, bur to take over reconnaissance and surveillance missions previously performed by helicopters.

Commanders have no other choice, officials said, because the helicopter fleet is overstretched.

The Corps literally is running out of helicopters. Of most concern is the Cobra attack aircraft, noted Lt. Gen. Robert Magnus, deputy commandant for programs and resources.

Cobras and a small number of unmanned drones have flown overhead surveillance missions in Iraq, providing cover for ground convoys. An escalation of attacks against convoys in recent months fueled the demand for aerial reconnaissance, and there simply are not enough helicopters or UAVs around, Magnus told reporters.

Also complicating matters is the fact that Cobras ,are out of production. "We lose one and it's gone, I can't replace it," said Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael Hough, deputy commandant for aviation. "Even if I had a billion dollars I couldn't build any more."

Marine AV-8B Harrier and F/A-18D Hornet fighter jets are expected to head to Iraq this fall to augment the helicopter fleet. Both these aircraft already had been employed in reconnaissance roles in Afghanistan, in support of special operations forces on the ground.

If the Corps gets funding approval, both aircraft will be equipped with new targeting pods, called Litening, which have advanced infrared sensors and help pilots see better at night.

Officials recognize that the costs of this operation will be staggering. The hourly cost of flying the Harrier, for example, nears $7,000. But the priority now is to "support boots on the ground," Hough said. "We need help to escort truck convoys up and down the road, at night, and help them avoid being ambushed. We don't have enough helicopters to do that." The 25,000...

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